Greenwich Academy

History

Greenwich Academy was founded in 1827 by members of the Congregationalist Church (in America since c. 1648, of the 16th century Reformation era tradition and theological orientation of Protestant / Reformed / Congregationalism branch of Western Christianity, now merged in the last 67 years into the modern denomination of the United Church of Christ since 1957).

For 86 years, until after the turn of the 20th century, the school admitted both girls and boys. Then, in 1900 / 1902, a Greenwich Academy English teacher founded the nearby parallel Brunswick School for Boys (also in Greenwich, Connecticut). As an eventual consequence, thirteen years later in 1913, the Greenwich Academy Board of Trustees formally approved the decision to accept only girls as future students / graduates in the Middle and Upper Schools, and after 86 years as a coeducational academic institution, the Greenwich Academy was reconceived after that year as a day school for girls.

Coordination

Since 1971, the Greenwich Academy has had a coordinated academic / social relationship with the all-boys student body of the nearby Brunswick School, founded 1900 / 1902. Brunswick's upper school is located across the street of North Maple Avenue from G.A. and high school students can take classes on both campuses. Almost all classes at G.A. and Brunswick are coeducational (co-ed).

Signature programs

Engineering and Design Lab

Greenwich Academy's Engineering & Design Lab (EDL) was established in 2013. It is a fully equipped, digital fabrication space with machines including 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, and CNC machines. In addition to digital manufacturing capabilities, the space offers carpentry and hand-building tools, microcontrollers, electronics, and a wide variety of materials for building. Students and faculty across divisions have access to the space and support for their projects. The lab's director, Erin Riley, is a Senior FabLearn Fellow out of Stanford University's Transformative Learning Technologies Lab.

GAINS (Girls Advancing in STEM) Network

The GAINS Network was founded by Greenwich Academy in 2011 to provide an online social platform for young women interested in science, technology, engineering and math.

Notable alumnae

• Hagar Chemali, writer and television personality
• Jane Fonda, model, actress, political / social activist.
• Shelley Hack, model and actress.
• Jean Holzworth, veterinarian.
• Margaret F. Hood, musical builder
• Radhika Jones, former editor-in-chief, Vanity Fair magazine
• Ethel Skakel Kennedy (1928–2024), human rights activist, co-founder of Para Olympics games, and widow of assassinated U.S. Senator, 1968 presidential candidate and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy of New York / Massachusetts.
• Lauren Redniss, Visual Storyteller and MacArthur Fellow.
• Kelly Rohrbach, model and actress.
• Maia Shibutani, Olympics ice dancer.
• Caroline Simmons, mayor of Stamford, Connecticut
• Allison Williams, actress, comedian, and singer.
• "I went to the New Canaan Nature Center for preschool," she said. "I was so into that world, and still think about it all the time. It established my love for nature and animals." "New Canaan Country School and Greenwich Academy followed."

References

References

1. "About Greenwich Academy | Private School for Girls | Bridgeport, Darien & Stamford, CT".
2. "Private Independent Schools" (Connecticut: Bunting & Lyon, 1979), 105.
3. Marsh, Asha. (July 1, 2023). "Greenwich Academy: About". Greenwich Academy.
4. "FabLearn Fellows 2014 FabLearn Fellows Blogs". FabLearn.
5. "Signature Initiatives".
6. (April 28, 2017). "Greenwich Academy notable alumnae". Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC.
7. (January 17, 2007). "Holzworth, Jean, D.V.M.". New York Times.
8. Corbett, Alexandra. (November 19, 2010). "Literary Alum Returns to GA". Greenwich Daily Voice.
9. "5 Things You Need to Know About Kelly Rohrbach". PEOPLE.com.
10. NBC Connecticut. (February 15, 2014). "Shubutani Siblings Tweet What Life's Like as Olympians". [[WVIT]].